Concrete Angel
by Okami Yuurei
Summary: [SasuxOC songfic oneshot] Minor OOCness I do not own Concrete Angel by Martina McBride, or the Naruto characters who are owned by Kishimoto Masashi. Please R&R, no flames, only CONSTRUCTIVE comments.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or the song Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. I just own my OC, Tora. Most of this takes place two days before the Uchiha massacre, and the end, well, I'll just let you guess...

_Italicized_ and underlined text is the lyrics of the song.

Normal text is story.

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The fog was thick the morning that she decided to walk to school. 7-year-old Tora sighed sadly and made her way down the lonely path, her deep onyx eyes cast down towards the ground. A gray book bag hung loosely from her left shoulder and in her right hand was a paper sack, presumably holding her lunch. Her black cargo pants were adorned with rips and holes, her black hooded shirt had cuts and tears in it, even her sandals were scuffed and scratched. She didn't notice. 'Not like anyone cares...' she thought miserably, rubbing salty tears from her reddened eyes. 'They...they just wouldn't understand...Them and their perfect lives...they haven't seen what life's really like...all the pain...all the suffering.' She moved her long black bangs so that they covered the bruise she had on her eye before continuing on her way.

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed_

_Nobody knows what she's holdin' back_

_Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday_

_She hides the bruises with linen and lace_

Tora sat solemnly in Kurenai's class at the academy. Other students were spending their free time talking about different things; varying from flower types to hobbies and sports. She sighed and took out a pen to begin writing the notes for class. "Sorry I'm late, Kurenai-sensei!" a voice yelled as the door to the room slid open. A young boy with raven-black hair and mysterious onyx eyes burst into the room. He seemed to be panting quite hard and looked as if he had just run a marathon. Some of the boys in class snickered as this boy made his way down the steps, looking for an open seat. Girls were squealing like mad and began to squeeze themselves in so that the boy could sit next to them.

Tora looked indifferent as the boy came down past her table, completely ignoring the rants by the other girls in the class. "Hey," she called out, catching the boy's attention. "Need a seat?"

He nodded gratefully and took the seat next to her. "Heh, thanks for saving me, there," he said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing his head. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, by the way."

Tora smiled. "Nice ta meetcha, Sasuke. I'm Kotohara Tora."

_The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask_

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask_

_Bearing the burden of a secret storm_

_Sometimes she wishes she was never born_

"Alright, class," Kurenai said, clearing her throat as she walked up the aisles of the classroom. "Please take out the homework I assigned you last night." She stopped momentarily beside Tora's side of the table. The little girl's arms were scored with bruises and scratches. Tora didn't notice the teacher, as she was talking to her newfound friend, but Kurenai had a feeling that those weren't the only bruises. 'Maybe...maybe she just tripped or something," she thought, continuing up the stairs. 'But...what happened to this girl?'

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

By the end of the day, Tora had become acquainted with some of Sasuke's friends; the hyperactive blonde boy, Naruto; the shy but encouraging Hinata, and a few others. Tora mused at this. 'Friends...so kind...so understanding...'

Sasuke and Tora walked home, talking, laughing, and most of all, enjoying each other's company. "Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Tora said, suddenly with newly found happiness. "You live next door, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, later tonight, open your window and we can talk," Tora said as they reached Sasuke's house.

"Okay! Bye, Tora-chan!"

"Bye, Sasuke-kun!"

_Somebody cries in the middle of the night_

_The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights_

_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate_

_When morning comes it'll be too late_

That night, Tora crept silently to her bedroom window. "Psst! Sasuke-kun, you there?"

Sasuke popped his head out the window. "Hi, Tora-chan!" he whispered, quiet enough so that his parents wouldn't hear, but loud enough so that Tora could. "Stop calling me Sasuke-kun though! You sound like a fangirl."

"Okay, fine. Sasuke." Tora glanced around cautiously before resting her head in her hands. "Sasuke, do you...like your family? Do they love you?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. My father is always more focused on my brother, Itachi's achievements than mine, though. I always get pushed aside..." he sighed and copied Tora's look; hands folded, head resting gloomily upon them.

Tora smiled faintly and looked down, her long bangs hiding her tears in the shadows. "My family doesn't. My mother's dead, my sister was killed in a mission, and my father thinks it's my fault that all of that happened. So he gets himself drunk and he...he beats me..." She sighed again and sniffled. "I just wish I could be with my mother and sister again...then I could truly say that I am home."

Sasuke felt so sorry for his new best friend. Her pain caused him grief and he wished so badly that he could go and give her a warm hug. "Tora-chan...I-I'm sorry," was all he managed to say.

Tora shook her head and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "No, Sasuke, it's okay-" Suddenly she paused, almost as if listening to something. Heavy footfalls could be heard coming up the hall to her room. It was her father, most likely still drunk.

"TORA!" came an angry roar from outside the room and her father pounded firmly on the door.

Tora's eyes grew wide with fear. "Oh no." She turned to the window and to the boy that stood at the window opposite her. "Sasuke, don't let him see you! Just hide!"

"What about you?" Sasuke asked his friend

She shook her head firmly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay!" she whispered, as the pounding got more and more impatient. Her face, however, said otherwise. As far as Sasuke could detect, she was scared out of her mind.

Sasuke watched as Tora tried in vain to put on a reassuring smile. He didn't want to even imagine what her father would do to her if he found out that she was talking to her. So, as quietly as he could, he withdrew from the window.

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

The door to Tora's bedroom burst open and a tall man stomped into the room. "Tora, get over here. NOW," he ordered to the frightened girl cowering in the corner.

Tora said nothing. She stayed curled up in the corner where she was.

Her father roared with rage. "GET OVER HERE NOW, BITCH!" he yelled, walking across the room and picking the girl up by her collar. He began to shake her like mad. "You DARE disobey me?" he bellowed, tossing the girl across the room so that she slammed roughly into the wall. Tora groaned and slumped to the floor. Her father's beatings did not stop there, however. He kicked at her and threw things at her, swearing and saying other horrible things.

Sasuke watched this from the safety of his bedroom. His heart ached. By now, he knew, other neighbors had turned on their lights and were calling the police. Footsteps in the hall told him that his own family was awake. All he could do was hope that the police could get there in time. A few minutes later, shouts could be heard from down below as the police got to the house. Sasuke looked relieved at this, only to look up at his friend's window to see that she lay beaten and bleeding on the bed. His heart almost stopped. He raced out of the house and stood just outside the police's 'DO NOT CROSS' tape. The medics had since arrived at the scene and were now carrying a gurney out the door, Tora lying motionlessly on it, her hand swaying limply at her side. He watched as they carried her down the front walk, her face marred with scratches and bruises. Her eyes were open slightly, but they had a hazy unconscious look to them. Before the medics even carried her into the ambulance, Sasuke knew that his friend was gone

_A statue stands in a shaded place_

_An angel girl with an upturned face_

_A name is written on a polished rock_

_A broken heart that the world forgot_

A small funeral was held the next day, and all of her friends, even some of the teachers, had skipped school that day to say goodbye. Sasuke sighed, not wanting to cry. "I guess... the only good that came out of this is that she is safe now," he said quietly to Naruto, who stood at his side.

Naruto nodded his agreement. "I guess so."

Sasuke looked back at the ground and read the words on the gravestone.

_**Kotohara Tora**_

_**1989-1996**_

"_**May her spirit rest in peace."**_

"_**May her memory never be forgotten."**_

Everyone was leaving now, to go home, to get back to work. Sasuke and Naruto were the last to leave. Naruto placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Sasuke," he said, trying his best to look happy and optimistic, "she wouldn't want you to be sad. Let's just think of it this way. _We_ hafta _live_ for _her_."

Sasuke smile at his best friend and they began to walk away. In the distance, a church bell began ringing, its long tones being carried away like a song on a breeze. Sasuke laughed to himself and muttered something someone had told him under his breath, "_Every time a church bell rings, a wandering angel gets her wings."_

Little did he know, a misty figure had appeared over Tora's grave, watching her friends' retreating forms. The spirit smiled, her angelic wings stretching for the first time. "I'm free!" rang a melodious voice as the angel girl disappeared as quickly as she had come.

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

'That was a long time ago,' a now 13-year-old Sasuke told himself. Even after so many years, he remembered the little girl that had been his childhood friend. He sighed and placed a bouquet of flowers on her grave as the evening sun began to set. 'At least,' he thought, 'you are watching over us now. All of us.'

He began to walk off on a path that did not lead back to Konoha, but a path that led elsewhere, somewhere off into the distance. From behind him, a teen with long raven black bangs and clipped up hair emerged from her place in the shadows. Bittersweet sorrow played across her flawless face. "I guess this is goodbye, Sasuke. But rest assured, I will watch over you," she said, the sorrow disappearing, replaced by a small smile.

"Tora..." a female voice rang from the darkness as her mother and sister appeared. "C'mon Tora, let's go home."

Tora smiled and angelic wings spread open out of her back. "I will watch over you. No matter where you go, Sasuke," she called, her voice ringing into the night before she faded away into the darkness. "I promise."

+_**End**_+

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A/N: Done! Oh yes! Except I am so sorry, Silver-Serval, if you are reading this. I had been writing this before I reviewed yours and so I couldn't decide whether to post it or not...I'm so sorry! Anyways, review button must be clickied! And remember, no flames or criticism, just CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Arigato gozaimasu!

Ja ne- Tora aka kirikat


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